site.btaFinal EC Mission to Decide Future of Blocked Funding under OP Environment Next Week

Final EC Mission to Decide Future
of Blocked Funding under OP Environment
Next Week


Sofia, October 10 (BTA) - Interviewed by BTA, Deputy Environment
Minister Atanaska Nikolova said the caretaker cabinet's
commitments to accelerate the verification process and provide
financing had produced a positive result. Next week a European
Commission team is expected to assess the management and control
systems of the Managing Authority of Operational Programme
Environment, and whether they ensure legally conforming spending
of EU money for the intended purpose.

The efforts made in the last two months were taken into
consideration by the European Commission and the assessment of
OP Environment has been changing gradually, Nikolova said. This
will be the final check before a decision is made.

The Deputy Minister commented: "We find that our hard work in
the last two months has considerably reduced the risk of losing
funding under OP Environment." The risk of failure of many major
investment projects has also been averted. A comprehensive
analysis of the high-risk projects will be submitted to the
Programme Monitoring Committee, which is meeting in late
October.

"We are very good partners with the Finance Ministry, we file
weekly requests for funding and beneficiaries get paid. Over 340
million leva have been paid out following more than 170
requests for funding for various contracts and projects," said
Nikolova.

All construction works under the projects must be completed by
the end of October 2015.

Ginka Chavdarova, Executive Director of the National Association
of Municipalities, said that work on projects had resumed after
internal redistribution of resources and the allocation of
public money. The delay will be difficult to make up for,
especially at the end of the construction season. There still is
a risk that projects will not be completed as scheduled, even
if the European Commission unblocks funding under OP
Environment. PK/DD